An officer once employed by the Reidsville Police Department is making waves post-termination, but more concerning is the city council’s apparent desire to reinstate him – even if it costs the city its insurance coverage.
At issue is now-former City of Reidsville police officer Jermaine Snell who, at the time of his termination, was Assistant Chief of Police. A lengthy paper trail provided to TheGeorgiaVirtue.com indicates that while Snell has been the center of a litany of issues, particularly in the last 60 days, problems with insubordination and professionalism go back more than two years.
Though Snell was fired almost two weeks ago after a full investigation and a pre-termination hearing conducted by a third party, he appeared at the most recent city council meeting to plead his case once more and after Tuesday’s special-called council meeting, he may be back on the job.
Timeline
Jermaine Snell was hired by the Reidsville Police Department in 2019. In 2022, he was promoted to Sergeant by the-Chief Wilds at the direction of Mayor Curtis Colwell. After the retirement of Wilds, Snell rose to the rank of Assistant Chief under Chief Trey Neesmith. When Neesmith left in 2024, Snell applied for the job, but was not appointed to the post, largely due to his lacking experience. Other applicants had decades of experience while Snell had five. He remained in the capacity of Assistant Chief when Chief Matthew Lynn was hired in December 2024 and until his termination.
July 1, 2025 – While Chief Lynn is on leave to care for his wife in the hospital, he instructs Snell, who is a Major, to work two shifts for another Sergeant who has worked multiple days with few days off. Snell tells Lynn he will pass the shifts off to a lieutenant, but Lynn informs Snell that lieutenant is on vacation and he needs Snell to work those shifts. Snell replies ‘K,’ but does not work the shifts. Instead, he fills the shifts with unapproved overtime of other employees.
July 2, 2025 – Chief Lynn learns from another PD employee that Snell is telling PD employees that he [Snell] will go to the mayor and council to have recent promotions reversed because they were not run by him first.
July 15, 2025 – New PD hire Patrick Swanson makes a report at shift change with regard to an incident during the previous shift. He tells the supervisor that he locked himself out of the police department and located an unsecured window to gain entry back into the building to get his keys, phone, and other belongings, as no one else was working. He also documents the incident in writing.
According to Swanson, Snell, who is now an Assistant Chief, told him that he could not enter the building through a window because his office had sensitive information in it. Swanson reports that Snell said he [Swanson] could face criminal charges or be fired. A lieutenant notifies Chief Lynn who says he will look into the issue on the following day.
July 16, 2025 – Snell authors a memo with the subject line ‘Terminate’ as it pertains to Officer Swanson.
Also on this date, Snell contacts Chief Lynn at 7:45 a.m. about his desire to terminate Swanson immediately. Lynn directs Snell to put his complaint in writing and he would review it after speaking with Swanson later in the morning. In the meantime, Lynn contacts the shift supervisor about the incident. Specifically, Lynn inquires about anything illegal, inappropriate or criminal occurring, which the supervisor indicates did not occur. The supervisor told Lynn that he did not see any reason for discipline.
While in another meeting, Chief Lynn is notified that Snell has taken Swanson to city hall to meet with the mayor. The mayor indicates she will wait on the Chief’s investigation and findings, but Snell is adamant in his attempts to terminate Swanson. When Chief Lynn arrives, an attempt to mediate the matter is made, but it continues to escalate. Snell accuses Swanson of sifting through files in his office and indicating he had video of Swanson doing so.
Mayor Nail, Chief Lynn, and Swanson all ask to be provided with the footage Snell claims to have.
“After several more confusing minutes, Mayor Nail stopped the attempt [to terminate Swanson] and I removed Ofc. Swanson from the room. While escorting Ofc. Swanson through the council chambers, Ofc. Swanson became visually upset. I gave Ofc. Swanson a few minutes to compose himself and got him out of city hall,” Chief Lynn writes in a memo.
Lynn goes on to write that this was not the first incident of unprofessional conduct by Snell ‘this week’ and after multiple requests and eventual directives, Snell ultimately fails to provide the video he claimed to have of Swanson committing theft.
Mayor Vickie Nail also writes in a memo that she never received the footage that Snell vowed to bring to city hall for her review.
Snell later reports that the video evidence is ‘irrelevant.’
July 17, 2025 – Officer Swanson files a formal written complaint against Snell, stating that Snell made allegations of theft by Swanson. “Not only is the allegation made against me false, but it also displays a clear security risk which was neglected by the assistant chief,” Swanson wrote. “Although I made entry through the window of the assistant chief’s office, I would not have been able to do so if the window was secured and locked.” Swanson wrote that he did not use any tools to open the window.
Snell is also placed on paid administrative leave for two weeks, pending an investigation. The letter placing Snell on leave cites issue with job performance ‘for some time,’ but that recent issues have arisen that cannot be ignored, including:
- Attempting to conduct a termination hearing of Officer Patrick Swanson without authority or notice and without following the procedures in personnel policies
- Attempting to administer other disciplinary action without Chief Lynn’s permission
- Undermining the leadership of the chief by planting false information to test an officer’s loyalty
- Gross mismanagement of budget operations, for example, expending almost the entire uniform budget for the entire year in less than one month.
- Insubordination and misuse of management in refusing to work shifts when instructed to do so
- Failure to appear on time for those shifts
- Failure to complete duties as assigned, including failure to manage the evidence room. Snell refused to provide the evidence custodian for the office with a key to the evidence room. This resulted in evidence backlogs, unprocessed materials from as far back as February, and potential case hindrances.
- Insubordination and unprofessional behavior toward the Chief, and disregarding his directives and policies
- Unprofessional behavior toward other employees.
A memo to Snell from Chief Lynn details that Snell’s conduct ‘constitutes a serious lapse in judgment and a violation of our internal disciplinary protocols because Snell attempted to terminate Swanson without conducting a proper investigation, without presenting verified evidence, and without conducting HR or the city attorney.
“Your actions exposed the City of Reidsville to potential legal liability and reputational harm and undermined trust in the fairness and consistency of our disciplinary process,” Lynn wrote.
Also noteworthy, Chief Lynn is informed that Snell is in possession of Swanson’s assigned body camera. When Lynn inquires why, Snell tells him it was part of an internal investigation into Swanson. Lynn writes in a memo that he has not initiated or approved an internal investigation and that he personally retrieved the body camera. It is determined that Snell, while on administrative leave, downloaded 12-15 hours of body camera footage using his administrative access.
On the same date, Mayor Nail contacts a third party to conduct an investigation into the incident since both she and Chief Lynn are tangentially involved due to the city hall incident on July 16. Former GBI Agent Doug Parker is retained to complete this investigation for the city.
July 21, 2025 – An unauthorized personal camera is located in the police department during Parker’s investigation.
July 22, 2025 – The investigation by Parker is delayed because Snell refuses to answer questions.
July 30, 2025 – The investigation by Parker is again delayed because Snell fails to appear for an ordered interview with independent Investigator Doug Parker.
July 31, 2025 – Investigator Doug Parker completes his investigation without much input from Snell and he prepares a report for the city. Read the full report.
August 11, 2025 – Former Reidsville Mayor Curtis Colwell approaches Officer Swanson at a gas station while he’s pumping gas. Colwell tells Swanson he’s the former mayor and he hopes ‘they’ weren’t offended the other night because council has full authority to do what they’re doing.
- “I was a councilman for 29-30 years. Then I became mayor…and it don’t matter what nobody says. Council got full authority over the city…the mayor can’t make no decisions.”
- Swanson responds by saying he’s not there to talk politics, that he just wants to do his job.
- Colwell tells Swanson that it was disrespectful that the police officers walked out of the previous meeting. “You just got here. You’ll learn…”
- Swanson says he doesn’t want to talk politics and there’s no politics in the law, to which Colwell states “there is because they hire you, they fire you. I don’t have an opinion, but I know who got the authority.”
(Note: the audio in the video does not begin until the 0:29 second mark)
August 20, 2025 – Snell is notified that he will have a pre-termination hearing on August 26 before Mayor Pro Tem Donald Prestage. Snell objects to Prestage’s oversight and instead asks for the city judge, Jack Downie, to preside over the hearing. The city agrees to this.
August 26, 2025 – A pre-termination hearing is conducted in the Council Chambers at City Hall before Judge Jack Downie, the city’s municipal judge and appointed hearing officer. Snell does not have an attorney but brings former Reidsville city official Curtis Colwell for support. Also present in the hearing is Chief Matt Lynn, City Attorney DuAnn Davis, and City Clerk Nivea Jackson.
In a pre-termination hearing, the burden is on the employee to present evidence – that factual, legal, or procedural error – that a termination would be arbitrary, unsupported, or contrary to policy.’
During the hearing, Snell responds to the allegations made against him.
- Memorandum Regarding Officer Patrick Swanson – Snell testifies that he did write a memo with the subject line ‘Terminate,’ but that he did not intend for the memo to effectuate termination.
- Claimed Video Evidence; Failure to Produce – Snell testifies that he did maintain a camera in his office, which he purchased himself and outfitted with a memory card, but that ‘there was no video,’ contrary to documentation from the policy violations supporting the fact that Snell had previously represented that he had video of Swanson.
- Paid Administrative Leave; Refusal to Obey Orders – Snell had been ordered to remain available and surrender department-issued equipment to the Captain. Snell testifies that he returned the majority of his issued gear.
- Refusal to Answer Investigator’s Questions after Garrity Advisement – Sustained – While on paid administrative leave, Snell met with Investigator Parker at City Hall. Snell requested to have his attorney present, but testified during the hearing that he was unable to obtain counsel prior to the scheduled questioning. He did not answer any of the investigator’s questions.
(This type of questioning, as it related to employment, differs from questioning related to a criminal investigation. There is no 5th Amendment right to assert under Garrity, which deals with administrative matters and provides immunity for compelled statements if something were to rise to a criminal matter)
- Failure to Appear for Ordered Interview – Snell was ordered to appear for an interview on a number of occasions. On at least one of those occasions, Snell says in the hearing that he was in Toombs County Probate Court assisting his sister and provides a document in support, though there was no official court date listed on the document.
August 29, 2025 – Downie provides his final report with final determinations. Downie sustained all six violations of departmental policy, meaning he determined that all six were substantiated with evidence. Ultimately, Downie writes that Snell did not overcome the burden in opposing his termination and that he committed acts of insubordination, failed to obey lawful orders, conducted authorized recording, and was non-cooperative under the Garrity-protected administrative questioning.
- Memorandum Regarding Officer Patrick Swanson – Sustained – Downie wrote that the plain and ordinary meaning of ‘Terminate’ in a formal memo by a command-level officer ‘reasonably signals of an adverse employment action,’ which Snell did not have the authority to take without approval by the Chief.
- Claimed Video Evidence; Failure to Produce – Sustained – Downie wrote that Snell previously referenced having recorded footage and provided no technical explanation for the lack of production of footage after being ordered to do so. Downie determined that Snell violated policy and said “the facts raise concern under OCGA 16-10-94 (evidence tampering),” but noted that his concerns were not to be construed as a criminal adjudication.
- Paid Administrative Leave; Refusal to Obey Orders – Sustained – Downie wrote that ‘paid administrative leave’ preserves the employment relationship and imposes ‘ongoing obligations of availability.’ Non-compliance constitutes insubordination under the city’s Code of Conduct.
- Unauthorized Recording Device in Office – Sustained. Investigator Doug Parker located a small camera mounted on the wall of Snell’s office. The use of an unapproved camera was a violation of the city’s Code of Conduct.
- Refusal to Answer Investigator’s Questions after Garrity Advisement – Sustained – Downie determined that Snell’s refusal to answer questions pertaining to his employment constituted insubordination.
- Failure to Appear for Ordered Interview – Sustained. Downie wrote that Bereavement leave requires mayoral approval after the death of an immediate family member. Snell submitted no such request and remained on administrative leave, but failed to appear. Downie wrote that it “constitutes non-cooperation and insubordination.”
“The City of Reidsville’s decision to terminate the employment of Assistant Chief Jermaine Snell is hereby SUSTAINED,” Downie concluded.
Read the full report here.
September 2, 2025 – Mayor Vickie Nail sends Snell a letter based on the Hearing Officer’s Report. Nail writes that she formally adopted the report and that Snell’s termination is effective immediately. Snell is directed to coordinate the return of all city property within 24 hours of receiving the letter.
September 8, 2025 – City Attorney DuAnn Davis advises the city council that an attorney with GIRMA, the city’s insurer, had ‘strongly advised’ the city not to move forward with any action relating to the ongoing issue with Snell.
“In the strongest manner possible, I encourage this City to step back, take no action tonight, and meet with the GIRMA attorney before taking any action which could be detrimental to the City. I strongly recommend that we do not address the issues tonight but wait until the GIRMA attorney can advise us in more detail as to how to proceed,” Davis tells the council.
Effectively, the city insurance policy would be at risk and the city could lose coverage entirely if it opted to re-hire Snell after the determinations by the hearing officer.
Councilman Donald Prestage made a motion to set the special-called meeting, it was seconded by Dan Bennett. Verdie Williams and Carolyn Blackshear opposed, and the tie was broken by Councilman Theron Harris who said things need to be addressed carefully before any decisions are made, per the GIRMA letter, so he had no problem waiting until the 16th.
Later in the meeting, Snell asks to speak. He addresses the room as ‘Assistant Chief Snell’ before Mayor Nail corrects him and states that he is not the assistant chief. Snell goes on to say that he stands behind his work and knows he served the city well. He begins to voice some of his concerns and complaints, before he is gaveled out by Mayor Nail. She tells Snell that he had an investigation, a hearing by the judge of his choice, and he was found guilty of all the charges. Snell replies that he simply wants to “speak to the council.”
Councilwoman Verdie Williams speaks out of order and makes a motion to ‘hear Snell’s comments,’ a motion that was procedurally incorrect. Councilman Donald Prestage states that council voted earlier to table the matter until the 16th to avoid issues. Snell said this was different, and city attorney DuAnn Cowart Davis and Mayor Nail both echoed that “this” is exactly what the GIRMA attorney was referring to in the directive. In violation of Robert’s Rules of Order, Councilman Harris seconds Williams’ motion and says Snell should have five minutes to speak.
“Okay, that’ll work,” Snell replies before a vote is completed by council. He then asks someone to start a timer.
Council votes 3-2 to ignore the recommendation of the city’s legal counsel and the GIRMA attorney. Council members Verdie Williams, Carolyn Blackshear, and Theron Harris voted to allow Snell to continue. Council members Dan Bennett and Donald Prestage voted against.
Snell then made a presentation to council in which he wanted to highlight ethical concerns about Mayor Nail and Chief Lynn. He was unable to provide specifics, but said his childhood dream was snatched away from him.
You can watch the meeting below. (Video from live stream published by Councilman Dan Bennett)
A special called meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. for city officials to hear from GIRMA attorneys in a closed executive session. If any action is taken, council will have to return to open session and make the votes in an open meeting.
Irrespective of whether or not the council reinstates Snell, the Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) Council will be notified of the transgressions.
Prior Insubordination Issues
Feb 10, 2023 – Sgt. Snell is disciplined by then-Chief Stacy Wilds after a citizen voiced concerns about response time to a call. It prompted Wilds to inform Snell that the Sheriff’s Office would assist with calls when they were backed up, especially when only one officer was working in Reidsville. Snell sent Wilds a text after the discussion saying, “Going home. I can’t work like this. Just take it out of my check or whatever you have to do.” The written violation was for ‘Abandonment of Duty Assignment – Employees are not to leave their duty assignment unless properly relieved or dismissed by a superior officer.’
Feb 21, 2023 – Sgt. Snell is disciplined by then-Chief Stacy Wilds with a written violation letter for ‘Vile, Foul, or Abusive Language.’
Feb 22, 2023 – Sgt. Snell is written up by Wilds again after Snell called Wilds irate about changes made to a shift. According to the write up, Snell was ‘extremely loud,’ asked why Wilds didn’t ask him for permission, and why he didn’t ask permission to make changes. Wilds wrote that Snell’s insubordination was based on his ‘irate, disrespectful, and very insubordinate’ behavior towards the Chief.
